fostee



(No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet l.

E. A. FOSTER.

REED ORGAN.

No. 289,688. Patented Deo. 4, 1888.

INVENTQRI WITNESSES; i y N AVS/Zan Q;

2 Sheets-Sheet 2.

(No Model.)

E. A. POSTER.

REED ORGAN. No. 289 688. Patented 1390.4, 1888.

INVENToRi v By his Mommy/.9,

NA FEYE'RS Phalauxhngmpbef. waal-wm D. c.

ai; A 'i mm* Irv, Unirse @Tiaras Fallini r EDVIN A. FOSTER, OF BRATTLEBOROUGH, VERMONT, ASSIGNOR TO J. ESTEY & OO., OF SAME PLACE.

I REE-ORGAN.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 289,658, dated December 4, 1883.

Application tiled June 19. 1883.

To @ZZ whom zit may concern:

Beit known that I, EDWIN A. Fosrnn., a citizen of the United States, residing at Brattleborough, in the county of Windham and State of Vermont, have invented certain linprovements in Reed-Organs, of which the following is a specication.

My invention relates to means for operating the exhausters of an organ, whereby either the feet of the player may be employed in the usual way or the exhausters may be operated by a hand-lever.

Organs have before been provided with means for accomplishing this, consisting or" a double lever, or lever composed of two members or elements, each of which is connected to its particular exhauster. These elements stand crossed normally, but are brought together and coupled when it is desired to work the exhausters by hand, whereupon they Work together as one lever. My invention consists in certain improvements upon this mechanism, which will be fully set forth hereinafter.

In the drawings, which serve to illustrate my invention, Figure l is a front elevation of the lower part of an organ, with the front of the casing removed to show the levers. Fig. 2 is a cross-section taken substantially on line 2 2 in Fig. l. Fig. 3 is a longitudinal vertical section taken on line 3 3 in Fig. 2, and looking in the direction of the arrow. Fig. 4t is a view similar to Fig. l, showing the levers coupled. Figs. 5, 6, and 7 are detached perspective views, showing the construction of the levers. l

Let A represent the frame of an organ, B the boa-rd upon which the eXhausters are mounted, C C the exhausters, aa their springs, D D the pedals, and b b their straps, arranged to pass over guidepulleys c c. These parts may all be constructed in the usual way. Pressure of the foot upon either pedal actuates the exhanster connected with such pedal.

The means for blowing the organ by hand, to which my invention relates, consist of levers E and E, arranged side by side and mounted on a common fulcrum, d, and each connected to one of the exhausters. One end of the lever E is connected by a strap, e, with (No model.)

one exhauster, and the opposite end of the lever E is connected by a strap, c, to the other exhauster. The le fers are so counterpoised that they stand normally crossed in the position shown in Figs. l and 3, their ends to which the straps are connected being uppermost, and the operation of the exhausters by the pedals does not affect them.

In order to operate the bellows by hand, it is necessary to bring the two levers together, as shown in Fig. d, and fasten or couple them to each other, so that they shall act as one lever. rlhis alone is not new with me, it being` common to bring the two together, and then, by sliding one lever longitudinally on a slotted fulcrum, to cause a pin upon it to enter a slot in the other lever 5 but this connection is unhandy, and the levers are apt to become disconnected by an accidental displacement of the sliding lever.

My invention consists in providing an automatic elastic catch or latch, which couples the levers at the iirst downstroke in pumping by hand, and which cannot be unintentionally disengaged. The particular construction of this catch is not very important, it being only essential that the levers shall automatically couple on being brought together, and that they shall be uncoupled by a manipulation or" the handle which projects outside of the organ-case.

The catch device which l have designed is very simple, and utilizes in its operation the slight spring or elasticity of the levers. rlhe handle F is removable, and is formed with a shank, g, Fig. 5, which fits into a socket, f, Fig. 7, on the end of the lever E. When the handle is thrust into this socket, as shown in Figs. 1 and 3, a beveled or wedge-shaped end, 72 Fig. 5, on the handle projects beyond the socket; and when the handle is pressed down, carrying down the lever E, the beveled end I on the lever FX, Fig. 6, is encountered bythe portion h, which wipes past it. rlhelevers spring apart sufficient-ly to permit this, and when 7L has passed below i, as denoted by the dotted lines in Fig. 3, the levers spring toward each other again and are coupled together, so that the continued reciprocation of the handle carries both levers with it, and works the exhausters alternately as with one lever. The end h of the handle and the end t' of the lever E are kept pressed together by the tension of the eXhauster-springs, which tend to cause the levers to resume their crossed position. (Shown in Fig. l.) Vhen it is desired to uncouple the levers, it is only necessary to pull out the handle F, or even to pull it back so that its end 7L shall pass from under the end i of the lever E. The lever E is provided with a counter-weight, j, to keep the end to which the strap e is attached elevated. rIhe other lever is similarly counterbalanced, so that the two levers are kept from vibrating when the bellows are being worked by the feet.

I claim as my inventionl. In a reed-organ, the combination, with the exhausters and foot-pedals, of two levers arranged side by side, mounted both on the saine fulcruln and each connected at one end to one or" the exhausters, with an elastic catch or. latch, constructed substantially as set forth, adapted to automatically couple the two levers together when they are moved parallel to each other, whereby they are caused to act as a single lever for working the exhausters by hand.

2. In a reed-organ, the combination, with the exhausters, of the lever E, )rovided with a socket, j', and connected to its exhauster by a strap, e, the lever E, provided with a projection, z', and connected to its exhauster by a strap, e, and the handle F, provided with a projection, h, the two levers having one fulcrurn d in common, substantially as set forth.

In witness whereof I have hereunto signed my name in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

EDVIN A. FOSTER.

Vitnesses:

Gnannns F. BINGHAM, IVAN V. GooDNER. 

